1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method for classifying and recognizing patterns and in particular a method whereby a pattern may be classified by utilizing a classification vector which differs depending on a degree of fractality of the respective pattern.
2. Discussion of the Background
Pattern recognition constitutes a central problem in many technical fields. Such pattern recognition should make it possible to acquire m-dimensional objects by using data processing means in such a manner that the data processing means is enabled to determine at maximum possible accuracy to which m-dimensional object the respective pattern should be assigned. Highly precise pattern recognition of m-dimensional objects would, for example, permit automatic navigation of any kind of vehicles to thus prevent accidents brought about by human error as far as possible. It would furthermore be possible to automatically and highly accurately identify the handwriting of any person. In the same manner, production of automatic machines or robots equipped with an intelligent sensory mechanism would not constitute a problem with highly accurate pattern recognition. Further fields of application are e.g. in the recognition of contour lines provided in the form of red-green-blue color data, of a symbol in symbol input via a pressure-sensitive digitising tablet, or of monaural audio data etc. Many other applications are equally conceivable.
Many methods for pattern recognition are already known in the prior art. A drawback of each known method does, however, reside in the fact that they are only applicable to specific kinds of objects. Universal applicability of these known methods is consequently strongly limited. It is another drawback of the known methods that in particular reliable recognition of highly complex structures or fractal structures will either fail or only succeed at extremely high computing speeds, such that real-time pattern recognition will not be possible.
In pattern recognition it is frequently also necessary to disregard certain features of the object or to only consider them in such a way that the actual measure reflecting a feature will become irrelevant. Thus it is conceivable e.g. that the actual spatial extension of an object should be irrelevant to thereby make it possible that objects merely differing in their spatial size are recognized to be similar.